What is the Hip History Contest?
The 2021-22 school year will be here before you know it, and that means Uniting Through History is working on our second annual Hip History Contest!
Contest details for the 2022 Hip History Contest will be posted this Fall. In the meantime, check out our 2021 winners and all the entries. Don’t miss out! Sign up below to be notified.
So, what is the Hip History Contest? It’s all about bringing the incredible story of Buxton, Iowa, alive through the arts. Established in 1900, Buxton was a coal mining town where Black and white residents experienced equality and equity and lived and worked side by side in peaceful productivity. Black Americans, the majority of the population, were leaders in the community.
We created this contest so young people could help spread the word about the extraordinary town and how its lessons on unity and racial equality can be applied today to help combat racism in America.
The Hip History Contest is open to middle and high school students and requires a short video presentation depicting an excerpt from Creating the Black Utopia of Buxton, Iowa by Rachelle Chase. Entries can be a song, poem, art piece, dance routine, monologue, or whatever creative interpretation students can dream up. While talent is a plus, creativity is the priority for our panel of “celebrity” judges, who will vote for the top three winners in each middle/high school category.
While prizes will be awarded throughout the contest, the main prizes are as follows:
MIDDLE SCHOOL
1st Prize: $2,000 scholarship
2nd Prize: $500 cash
3rd Prize: $250 cash
HIGH SCHOOL
1st Prize: $2,000 scholarship
2nd Prize: $500 cash
3rd Prize: $250 cash
Not only does the Hip History Contest give young Iowans and beyond the opportunity to learn about an overlooked part of state history, but it was also the inaugural project in Uniting Through History’s mission to educate and reinforce the fact that Black history is American history by providing creative ways for people to connect with the experiences of Black Americans.
Just as the residents of Buxton were an extraordinary example of Black and white people living and working together in peaceful productivity, the Hip History Contest seeks to unite young people to share Buxton’s history and reinforce its place in American history.
Please check out our 2021 winners and all the entries and don’t forget to sign up below!